009
( i'm a racing car, passing by like lady godiva )

chapter nine !

VINCENT GOT UPSET A LOT. It seemed he was a crybaby, nothing less of a little bitch who couldn't handle his overbearing emotions. He'd get upset mostly when he was alone, lost in his thoughts and lying down in an uncomfortable bed that truly would never be his own. He'd cry for hours at a time, sob pitifully as he shook and balled his hands into tight painful fists, nails typically digging right into his palms hard enough to draw crimson blood.

Vincent had never minded blood. He liked it, in fact. He enjoyed the blood that would sometimes drip from his nose after he'd transform into a stranger on the street. He enjoyed the blood that dripped from his nose when Klaus Hargreeves punched him across the face. He enjoyed it. Pain gave him a sense of comfort, as odd and fucked up as it sounded.

He'd pinch himself after breaking down. Give himself a reminder that he had no reason to be upset. He could be perfectly happy if he just tried to be. Although, he supposed that's exactly what the point was. He was not happy. It seemed impossible to make Vincent Leblanc happy.

It was unfair to others. Vincent knew this. Although, he'd always been picky. Always been someone who couldn't handle his emotions or even an ounce of happiness. Not that he'd even had that before.

He cried often. It seemed whenever he wasn't with someone tolerable or in public, he'd feel that familiar heaviness set on his chest. The heaviness that squeezed mercilessly and sat there in agony up until he put it out of its misery and cried for however long the tears would come. They'd last for what felt like an eternity, fall down his cheeks endlessly.

Despite being told all his life that crying was for girls and that crying was reserved for pussies; Vincent still saw no shame in letting out his emotions. Perhaps it was because he himself was indeed a pussy. Although, he'd always allowed himself to cry whenever he felt like it.

He'd force tears to trickle down, lie back with laboured breaths and stare conflicted at the ceiling. Every damn time. It seemed like a neverending cycle, one that would end in a whirlwind of explosive events in a repetitive manner that Vincent would never be able to get himself out of.

But it seemed now Vincent couldn't bring himself to cry. He was only upset as a result of the burning pain itching at his skin, the numbing of his fingers and the jittery feeling that dominated his legs. His nose hurt, sure, but not nearly as much as the rest of him. It was truly a bad idea to transform into that woman.

Everything felt like it was slowly breaking. It was similar to a feeling close to every bone in his body cracking very slowly, an agonizing twist in his gut that sent his skin itching like crazy.

He wished he could snap his fingers and solve the entirety of the problem. He wished he didn't have the shittiest side effect for a power that already rendered him close to useless. It upset him. Just like everything else did.

Vincent sat beside Five in the taxi, eyes squeezed shut and fists clenched tightly. He made sure to face the window, not wanting Five to notice what was happening to him. One thing Vincent hated more than being unable to cry was being seen as weak.

Sure, he really indeed was weak. Although, he didn't want to be reminded constantly.

It didn't seem as though Five was paying much attention to him anyway. Not at first. He was silent, probably thinking about Delores. Vincent could have scoffed. He didn't have any issue with the mannequin. Other than the fact that she got more attention from Five than he ever did, he really didn't have any other reason to dislike her.

That didn't stop Vincent from feeling a slight tinge of jealousy pull at his chest. It was an odd feeling, jealousy. Vincent hated it. He hated the wrenching gut feeling that came whenever Five would speak to Delores in a way he'd never spoken to Vincent before. It filled with an incomparable rage that he'd have to swallow down roughly.

He'd always hidden his emotions well, he supposed. But as stated, he loved to cry and let it flow freely. He knew Five didn't care when he cried. He had grown used to it. Had grown to shrug off the familiar sobs that would often fall from Vincent's lips sometime during the night. That didn't mean Five hadn't cared. He would hum something under his breath that would calm Vincent down surprisingly fast, or he'd turn on the old radio that they somehow kept working over the years to an old 40s song that Vincent would relax at.

Five wasn't the best at comforting people. That much Vincent was sure.

"What's wrong?"

Vincent jumped at the sound of Fives voice, eyes opening quickly as his head moved to look at the other boy. He sighed, shrugging as he put a grin on his lips. "Other than the extreme pain everywhere?" He asked sarcastically with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing much."

Five rolled his eyes, moving closer. "Fuck off with that. You don't have to be a total asshole all the time. I was trying to be nice." He huffed, eyes landing on the fists that Vincent still had curled into his lap.

Vincent let out a small laugh, wincing at the pain that came with the movement. "Should take your own advice, babe." He countered, the grin on his lips still apparent. "Whys your name Five anyway? All of your siblings have regular names." He chuckled.

Five seemed to stiffen at the words, looking away from Vincent for a moment to stare out the window. After a minute of silence, he finally spoke. "I wasn't there to get a name." He finally said. "Went missing before Gra- my mother gave everyone else names. Guess they didn't bother doing it while I was away." He spoke, sending a tight lipped fake grin Vincent's way.

Vincent knew he should feel bad for bringing up a subject Five clearly didn't like it, but he found himself not caring much. "Sucks." He sighed out, a chuckle bubbling out of his throat. "My parents didn't even want me. They didn't call me by name, no pun intended, after they found out I was a fucking freak." He grinned a bit, looking at Five.

It was at that moment that Vincent realized Five was not nearly as amused as he was. In fact, Five was leaned back, staring back at Vincent with a sense of sympathy and pity that Vincent had never received much before. He looked conflicted, as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure if he should.

Five bit the skin on the inner part of his cheek, shaking his head to himself. "That is so fucked up." He spoke, voice much softer than Vincent expected. "You never talk about your parents. What were they like?" He asked, just trying to start small talk around the subject. It was clear Five wanted to know why Vincent had such a clear hatred for his parents.

Vincent rolled his eyes, chuckling lightly. The pain in his body was still just as bad, but he ignored it the best he could. "Assholes. They just called me 'kid' and 'boy'. Although, my mom rarely even spoke to me anyway." He grinned, only growing wider, despite Fives frown deepening. "But y'know, life goes on. Those bastards will die in the apocalypse and my daddy issues will be solved! Unless you'd like to help with that ahead of time." He joked with a swift wink.

Five rolled his eyes instinctively, moving away slightly. "Not interested," He chuckled. "There ever gonna be a time when you cut the flirting shit out? How many times do I have to tell you that I'm full heterosexual?" He spoke, hiding his slight amusement with annoyance.

Vincent burst out laughing, holding his stomach tightly at the immense pain that came with it. "Hetero? Anyone with a number as a name is a total raging homo, Fivey. Trust me. My SimCity name was FiveEightFiftySix and look where I am now! Popping a total boner for a Hargreeves boy." He joked with a grin.

Five huffed, shaking his head. "You're so annoying. I can't wait to have Delores back." He spoke, frustrated. He clearly didn't know what he wanted, but Vincent supposed it was understandable.

Vincent pouted to himself. "Can't believe you're replacing me again. Maybe you're just a mean bisexual. Would love to beat your ass and then burn Delores with your fuckin' casket." He grinned, not minding the fiery glare Five sent his way. 

"Delores can't die." Five immediately countered, arms crossed over his chest. "So you wouldn't be getting anywhere."

"She doesn't die because she is a mannequin." Vincent responded with a wider grin. "But do you know what she can do?! Melt!" He laughed out, shaking his head.

"Shut the fuck up. If you even touch her, I'll kill you myself." Five threatened in pure annoyance. Vincent simply flashed a wide toothy smile.

"You'd never! You've never even punched me across the face, yet you're already threatening me? At least stab me first!" Vincent chuckled. "I'm not gonna touch your plastic sex doll anyway. Delores is my grandma's name. Not really into feeling up a woman with my grandma's names tits."

Five rolled his eyes, huffing. "This started off as a good conversation. But there you go ruining everything." He spoke, shaking his head as he let out a humorless chuckle. "You're un-fucking-believable."

Vincent grinned. "I know that was a jab at me, but I really didn't feel anything from that. Really, my body is entirely numb from the pain." He laughed. "We should smoke some pot. That would be so much better than what we're doing right now. My body is gonna be so fucking sore tomorrow. I'm gonna tell everyone it's your fault and then you'll really be the faggy Hargreeves." He joked with a grin.

Five huffed. "I don't care if people think I'm gay. Because I'm not." He spoke, rolling his eyes. "And we're not doing that right now. We can get drunk off our asses after we get Delores." He spoke.

"Not gay. Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, dumbass." Vincent grinned. "Doubt it. Come on, you've never thought of seeing a dude completely naked? Because you've got a boy right here who would be more than happy to be of service." He spoke jokingly, although it didn't sound like much of a joke. "And that sounds dandy! Getting drunk, smoking pot. We can do both." He shrugged.

Five shrugged, but didn't say anything else. Not even to the gay part. Vincent grinned a bit to himself. After a few minutes, they'd finally arrived to a small general store type place, the taxi parking.

Five didn't bother paying the driver as he got out of the vehicle, Vincent following closely. They both walked up to the door, which had a large "CLOSED" sign on the front. It was getting darker anyway, the air going humid around him. Vincent chuckled. "Look at that! Absolute bummer that it's closed! Guess we can't get in!" He spoke with a dramatic sigh.

Five rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall as he looked at Vincent. "Kneel down. I know you can pick a lock. You told me about all the times you've done it. So do it." Five ordered.

Vincent grinned. "Kinky. Ordering me around?" He laughed, kneeling down in front of the lock. He pulled a bobby pin from out of his pocket, beginning to slowly pick the lock. "Or was this an excuse for me to kneel down? I will definetly defile you through your adorable school boy shorts, if you'd like." He joked with a laugh.

Five chuckled lightly, rolling his eyes. "Just pick the fucking lock. Don't need to use your voice for that."

Vincent chuckled, picking the lock easily and opening up the door. He walked in first, Five following. The whole place was lit a dim blue, something that Vincent found extremely eery. He didn't like it.

Five sighed, gesturing for Vincent to follow him to the middle of the store, where the mannequins were kept. Vincent followed, unable to help the slight familiar smirk that came to his lips when he saw Delores. Five looked much happier, lips in a very light smile, just barely curling up at the corners.

Five stepped forward, looking up at the mannequin, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He grabbed a flashlight from the side, turning it on and shining it into Delores's face. "Delores.." He mumbled softly.

Vincent stood the side, eyeing the mannequin. He sighed, knowing this was going to be a sappy moment that would undoubtedly result in Vincent getting bored.

Five stepped slightly closer, still shining the flashlight. He sighed, "It's good to see you." He spoke up, the small smile still present. "I've missed you. Obviously." He mumbled gently. Vincent pouted at the words. He hadn't missed him too? Rude. "Well, it's been a rough... couple of days." He spoke, shrugging lightly.

Vincent turned quickly at the sound of footsteps, standing up straighter as his eyes widened. "Oh fuck." He spoke at the same time Five yelled a "No!" Two gunshots went off, hitting the mannequins. Five grabbed Vincent's hand, pulling him down to duck away from the shots. He pulled Vincent away quickly to behind a few clothes racks, right as Delores was shot right in half. Vincent would have chuckled if it weren't for the severity of the moment.

Five was gripping Vincent's hand much too tightly, keeping him close as they continued to get away from the still going gunshots. Five peeked out from behind a few clothes, groaning. "Ah shit, it's them!" He cursed.

Vincent chuckled breathlessly. "Of fucking course it is. You absolute dumbass. How did they find you?" He whisper-yelled, to which Five didn't have the chance to respond, as Five pulled him behind the mannequins, grabbing Delores with his free hand before he ran off to behind more clothes, Vincent still hand in hand. Vincent didn't think Five even noticed anymore.

Five let Delores down gently, muttering a "be right back for you." He turned to Vincent, moving close enough that Vincent could feel Fives breath on his face. "I'll be back for you too. Don't do anything stupid." He whispered softly.

Vincent rolled his eyes. "Stupid is my middle name, my love." He grinned, watching as Five shook his head with a small smile of amusement before running off, teleporting through the clothing aisles. Vincent stayed in place, watching the two assassins attempt to shoot Five. He didn't know what he could do. He was practically useless.

Sure, Vincent had some telekinetic abilities, but he'd only ever lifted a damn apple for 5 seconds. Vincent let out a shaky breath as he watched Five nearly get shot, deciding to make a small distraction. He moved around the place, keeping his footsteps light as he stalked close behind the taller man, who he knew as Hazel, in the bear mask of sorts, making sure to not make any loud noises.

The woman in the bunny mask, Cha-Cha continued to shoot before stopping for a moment. "Did you see that?" She spoke loudly.

Hazel shrugged. "You said he was special. So now what?" He spoke back, voice just as loud. Vincent rolled his eyes. They weren't too far from one another. Why were they yelling?

"You start over there. I'll go to the other end. Meet in the middle. Shoot anything that moves." Cha-Cha explained. Vincent snickered silently, waving his hands behind Hazel, who obviously didn't hear the movement.

Vincent stayed close behind Hazel, watching as he picked up a small package. "Elastic wrist splint. Yes!" Hazel groaned out, tilting his head back. Vincent took it as a chance to grab the flashlight Five had grabbed earlier, which had rolled across the floor close to him. He stood up quickly, wacking Hazel in the back of the neck with it hard at the same time Five hit Cha-Cha with some kind of object.

Of course, neither were severely injured. Hazel begun to shoot wildly around, and Vincent had to run off quickly to avoid the bullets narrowly. He ran back over to where Five was, staying with him quietly. Five glance over. "Impressive." He breathed out, referring to Vincent's ease to avoid bullets.

Vincent flashed him a tired pained grin. God, his body was in so much pain. "It's what I do, baby." He chuckled as they continued to run. Five grabbed Delores quickly, continuing to run with her and Vincent. He quickly stuffed her into a bag on his back, grabbing Vincent's hand again in that familiar tight hold and pulling him along.

Vincent winced as a bullet grazed his shoulder lightly, teeth gritting together hard to hold in any groan of pain. Fuck. That made the pain even worse. He just wanted a hot bath. Fuck, and now he was bleeding through his shirt. One of the only clean shirts he had. Fuck.

Vincent watched as Five attempted to teleport yet again, unable to. His eyebrows furrowed, not understanding why he was having so much difficulty. Perhaps it was because he was still gripping Vincents hand with such vigor he felt like it'd break. Five cursed in frustration, not noticing Vincent's new injury. Luckily the bullet didn't actually enter his body. He was sure if it did he'd have passed out from the pain.

Five tried once more, cursing out a "shit! c'mon" out of frustration, opting on just pulling Vincent away with him yet again when it failed all over again. He pulled Vincent over a rack of items, Vincent nearly getting shot in the back of the leg but clumsily dodging it as he jumped over, gripping Fives hand tighter through the adrenaline.

Vincent stood up with Five, jaw clenched tight through the pain as he brought his free hand up to grip his bleeding injury, still holding Fives hand. Cha-Cha shined the flashlight off her gun in Five and Vincents face. "We got them." She spoke, and Vincent could practically hear the grin in her voice. He wanted to smack the amusement right out of her.

Hazel and Cha-Cha's attention was averted when police cars came into view through the windows, the sirens full blast. Five used the opportunity to pull Vincent away to behind a rack, sinking down against it. Vincent sat down as well, way too close to Five, their shoulders practically overlapping. Vincent's other shoulder throbbed lightly with the pain. Fuck. Those bullets hurt really bad. Even just a graze could get him feeling woozy.

Vincent heard the assassins leave, moving closer to Five. He laid his head back, eyes shutting out of both the pain and the exhaustion from it all. Five and him were both sweaty, Five gripping Delores in his other arm but gripping Vincent's hand much tighter. He seemed exhausted.

Vincent winced in pain, letting out a curse under his breath. He opened his eyes, bringing the hand he'd been gripping his shoulder with up to eyesight. Of course. His hand was painted red with the blood from the wound. Five noticed as well, sitting up straighter. "Fuck. Did you get hit?" Five asked, voice panicked.

Vincent shook his head. "Nah.." he chuckled weakly. "Just got a little graze. No biggie." He spoke, but his voice cracked. The pain was unbearable. The graze didn't even hurt that much. It was mostly the pain from his transformation. But all of it together made him dizzy with pure pain.

Five shook his head quickly. "We have to get out of here. I'll patch you up. We can get drunk tommorow." He spoke, gritting his jaw as he gripped Vincent's hand tighter. "I'm not sorry you're hurt. You should have been watching your back." He spoke softly, but Vincent could tell he was lying. He was clearly worried for Vincent, or else he'd have left him alone already to die.

Vincent let out a shaky breath, nodding his head. "I know, edge lord." He grinned slightly. "Don't have to remind me I'm a useless fuck up all the time. I already know that better than anyone." He chuckled barely.

Five shook his head. "That's not what I said. You weren't useless. You helped me out." He spoke gently. "Stop talking about yourself like that or I'll start playing along. And I know for a fact you don't take criticism from others as well as you do from yourself." He mumbled. "We're going back to my house." He sighed, pulling Vincent up slowly.

Vincent chuckled weakly, standing up. "Y'know, I don't know if you notice but the police have this place surrounded." He muttered.

"I'm gonna try to teleport. With you." Five spoke carefully. "If it doesn't wo-"

Vincent cut Five off. "Shut the fuck up. Just try it. Fucking try it. Fuck, this shit hurts so bad." He spoke quickly, gripping Fives hand so hard he saw Five flinch, Vincent closing his eyes.

Five nodded, closing his eyes as well before teleporting. Vincent and Five were both surprised to open their eyes and be back in Fives home. Vincent turned to Five, eyes widening. "Well, holy shit. Maybe you are the most amazing Hargreeves." He joked.

Five rolled his eyes, but still smiled, clearly proud of himself. Vincent knew he'd never done anything like that before. He pulled Vincent with him, their hands still absentmindedly held together. He led Vincent to his room, but was cut off by Luther stepping in front of him. Allison spoke up, two siblings Vincent had never properly met. "Five? What the hell happened to you?" She asked.

Vincent watched as Luther and Allison eyed him suspiciously. He knew he looked extremely pale, his shoulder bleeding down his side and, plus, he was holding hands with their brother.

Luther, the bigger one, spoke up next. "Are you okay? Can we help?" He asked, reaching out.

Five caught Luther's wrist harshly, shaking his head. "Theres nothing you can do." He spoke coldly, looking down at Delores's head peeking out of the bag before looking back at Vincent. He sighed, turning back to Luther. "Theres nothing any of you can do." He huffed before pulling Vincent with him to his room, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Vincent chuckled, but wasn't able to let out a crude joke. He was too weak to do so, moving to sit down on Fives bed, still holding Fives hand, which he still hadn't let go of. Vincent didn't mind.

Five sighed, looking at Vincent with a conflicted looking his eyes that Vincent couldn't read. "Take your shirt off." He spoke before his cheeks got red, shaking his head. "So I can bandage your shoulder." He added on quickly, watching as Vincent put on a lazy grin.

Vincent let go of Fives hand, not missing the small sad expression on Fives face when he did so. Vincent decided against pulling his shirt off, knowing it would only fluster Five, and instead pulled the side down so his shoulder was visible, bleeding quickly.

Five grabbed a medical bandage from the top drawer of his nightstand, wrapping it around Vincent's wound tightly. Vincent winced in pain, clenching his jaw.

Once Five was finished, Vincent was much too tired to stand up. So he didn't. He simply laid down on Fives bed, getting underneath the covers without any care.

Five visibly swallowed hard, putting the bag down on the ground. He pulled Delores out of it, placing her on the nightstand beside his bed. Vincent was surprised he didnt want to sleep with her.

Vincent was even more surprised when Five loosened his tie, getting into the bed beside Vincent, underneath the covers. He turned to face Vincent, sighing nervously as he looked at the boy across from him, who still looked rather pale and sickly. Vincent smiled weakly, winking lightly with an almost giggle before shutting his eyes tiredly.

Five smiled. He smiled a genuine smile, unlike any other he'd had in a while. And fuck. Five realized he was totally and utterly fucked. He had sworn he'd never fall for Vincent, but it seemed every single thing that occurred to him wanted otherwise. Every little thing that had happened that day had led to this very moment. In which Five had an inner mental breakdown and definetly would not be able to sleep.

But little did he know, Vincent had realized that he was as well.

And it was scaring the shit out of him.

♡♡♡♡♡
A/N:
It's 4/20 so I got this bitch to 4200 words! This is now the longest chapter skdks. They just keep growing more and more yikes ksks.